Citrus juice products having stabilized cloud and process for making the same



Patented June 3, 1952 CITRUS J UICE--' PRODUCTS HAVING STABI LIZEDCLOUDD- PROCESS FOR MAKING 1 THEYSAME; 9

Jesse-W. Stevens, Upl n and Davi EiPritche Ontario, Calif; assignors tovSu kist Growers,- Inc; Los -Angeles, Caliil; a corporation ofCalifornia No D1'awing. Application October 29, 1949, SeriaINO.124,-,4fi6

14 Claims 1 'Ih'is. ;1nvention..relates to. the maintenanc o ood jappearance :of ,'oitrus, juice, beverages and;

particularly, to .the maintenance and even improvement of ,.'the cloudyappearance which, is

such; an inherently, natural. characteristic of:

freshly,,'preparedwcitrus.juicesv and, such a desired characteristic ofcitrus. juice beverages.

After it had beenshownto bepossibleto ma -r tain .a natural looking:,cloudincitrus juice prod ucts, i. e.,.citrus juices and citrusjuicebeverages it .was at first thought, that all that was needed ing in thecitrus juice product substances of the narrowly-restricted groupidentified as Water soluble gums of high mannogalactan content and ofwhich group guar gum, locustbean gum, and

tara-gum are the only representatives that we have been able to find:available. None of. these gums are known to be present in any citrusfruit. 4

We have "made thetastonishing discovery that the cloud is wellstabilized against non-enzymatic flocculation by the useof'propprtionsof these" substances so extremely minor that .it is utterly impossiblethat any viscosity change can be in'-'.

volv'ted in the production of the 'efiect'and it even seems mostunlikely that any suspensoid' action of the usual type can'be'responsiblefor'the maintenance' or restoration of the; stability;or" the cloud;

B'y th'e term cloud herein we:mean :throughe out that naturallyoccurring turbidity of appeare ance which is comprised; of more or lesscolored 1 particles;;,rang ing all the way iromymicrcscopicdown tocolloidal 'insize and at least temporarily suspended fairly uniformly"throughout: freshly" prepared? citrus -juices and which canbemaintainedin' fairly" stablefcondition; except 'for 'the natural slow-settling j of larger; particles 'under conditions of relativelycomplete quiet, for" quite lcn'gperiods of time.

By one of those peculiar. contradictory-quirks of language thatsometimes happen; the term clouding up has iii-recent years *com-e;among some whoworkin a practical wayin the fabrica ti'on, distribution,andjmerchandising of citrus juices and citrus juice beverages, to meanand designate the undesired lumping up; conglomeratiorr, coagulation;-separation, and/orsettling out of the Wanted'natural turbidity th'atsometimes occur 'incitrus-juices=an'd-" citrus juice beverages andwhichit is one Offthe aims oi the presentinventiontq prevent or correct,That'use of ;thisterm) is almost diametrically opposed to the; meaningwe intend by the term cloud,","an d;is not used byus herein; Neither dowe intend here to include within the meaning of -theterm cloud any ofvthose artificial turbidity producing: substances. sometimes added tocitrus beveragesto cause. them" to appearar'tificially and superficially to have a juice content that is not actually present to theextent indicated by the appear ance of the beverage.

The-fact of .the possibility, as a-commerciallyoperable proposition, ofmaintaining the -n-atural cloud ofcitrus juices and-citrus juicebeveragesi in relatively stable form, was criginallydiscovered i andfirst demonstrated by one of us nearly-twenty;- years ago; See UnitedStates Patent- No; 2,217,261 to Jesse W. Stevens, original 'appiication,filedy'December 12;,1931: Stemmingfrom-- that discovery; theproductiondistribution;- and merchandising-of citrus juices 'and citrusjuioebeverages having a; cloudy appearance havespread 1 to and beenadoptedinali those -parts-cfthe world inwhichcitrus 3 juice productsaremanufactured: Citrus juices and citrus j lice beverages possessing-acl-oudy-- appearance have met with such wide'public acceptance andhave become so firmly established that it has become anabsolutegcomrnercial necessity 'for-them to'; have-that cloudyappearance; This; ii -turn; has itself given rise to some surprisingdiificultiesz;

These difiicultieshave exhibitedthemselves" primarily-as deficiency;andinstability of the cloud, The more serious trouble results from th'einstability, i. e.', thetcndencyci the natural cloud? to settle outrapidly upon standing. Thisdit ficulty-will1j be particularlyobvious Iand I is ;most f important com-mercially in connection With' bottledbeverages which contain a proportion--01. citrus juice and-areput-upinglass. When--thosebeverages exhibit a natural cloudyappearance they are,of course, particularly pleasing-to--the prospective consumer, andthey-are relatively un attractive if I the natural cloud= has settledout after havingfirst undergone flocculation: The-1 trouble-iscaused;-presumablyfbywhat we believe to be anonenzymaticflocculation-process which-- takes place in theb'ottledbeverageaiter bottling;

This flocculation is found to take-place in beverages-made fromjuicestreated in accordance with a the pr-oceSs disclosed in 'U." S.Patent No. 22 1732612 That process, we believe,- destroys or completelyinactivates the enzymes; and this leads us to believe thattheflocculation Whichis J prevented by our present invention isnon-enzymatic-- in character. The-formation of visiblefiocsin'thebottledbeverage can sometimes be ObS81'V6d"iIl=-&S-f short-a time as:from one to four hoursafter bottling, particularly if the bottles are atrest. The flocs settle to the bottom of the bottle and form an unsightlylayer of sediment. The cloud can usually at first be apparentlycompletely redispersed by agitation but upon standing the cloud willagain gather into flocs and settle, as in the first instance. Thesediment layer tends to acquire a relatively greater solidity with timeand becomes more difficult to redisperse by agitation. Any such tendencyof the sediment to solidify is, of course, very objectionable to thosewho are putting up the finished beverages and offering them for sale.

Non-enzymatic flocculation in citrus juice products generally, and asparticularly to be observed in bottled citrus beverages, has apparentlybeen more prevalent in recent years. It is not definitely known whatcauses this; whether or not it may possibly be due to some variation inthe quantity of some minor element or constituent in the fruit, duepossibly even to such a remote cause as long range changes in weathercycles or to seasonal variations therein, due to possible gradualexhaustion of soils as to some partiucular constituent or element,arising from the fact that a particular citrus orchard necessarily growsupon the same soil over a very long period of years, or due possibly tochanges in the manner of handling and processing the fruit.

In some procedures for extracting the juice,

the fruits are cut in half, the halves are grasped in cup-shapeddevices, and the juice is removed by a process or operation commonlycalled reaming or burring, all of which is done mechanically and veryquickly with little or no expressing or macerating manipulation of oraction upon the peel portion of the fruit, which remains as a half fruitsubstantially unaltered except for the removal from it of the juice.These pieces, commonly called half shells, are separately dischargedfrom the machines. In another method now finding some use, the wholefruits are each penetrated by a perforated tube having sharpened edgesand then, while the tube is maintained in place, the individual fruit issqueezed together so that it is caused to collapse and the juice ispressed out through the tube. The juice is separately discharged fromthe machine. Although the individual friuts are, in this instance,fairly completely mashed, the juice does not come into contact withthese mashed fruits. A small disc or plug of the peel is pressed outthrough the tube with the juice, from each fruit operated upon. Theseare removed by a screen over which the juice flows. In both of thesecases. there is no or very little opportunity for the incorporation ofany sort of peel constituents and any resultant additional cloudsubstances into the juice.

It should be appreciated that some modifications of the extractionprocesses are capable of producing the result of having a relativelysmall amount of natural cloud in the juice product to begin with. Evenin such cases, good stability of the natural cloud is an importantdesideratum. While the following out of the process of U. S. Patent No.2,217,261 is understood to avoid enzymatic flocculation of the cloud,there still remains the problem of counteracting non-enzymaticflocculation. It is to this difficulty and problem that the presentinvention is addressed.

In accordance with the above mentioned United States Patent No.2,217,261, the juice is preferably, immediately following extractionfrom the fruit, rapidly heated to a predetermined temperature, held atthat temperature for a predetermined time, and then rapidly cooled. Thisprocedure, which destroys or inactivates the naturally occurring enzymesthat would otherwise deleteriously modify the cloud suspendingsubstances, has become universally adopted.

It should be clearly and fully understood that in the cases of the juiceproducts which we have had under consideration in connection with theabove discussion, the principal difiiculty has been in connection withthe sufliciency of the suspension, and the sufficiency of the stabilityof the suspension of the naturally occurring cloud producing substancesin the beverages comprised of or containing such juice products.

It may, perhaps, be hypothesized that the relative instability of thecloud in a particular juice product may be due to the fact that anytreatment to which the juice, along with the undissolved solidsubstances carried by it, has been subjected has created new surfaces ofsuch solid material which demand more cloud suspending substances toproduce a satisfactory stabilizing action upon the cloud producingsubstances than are inherently present in the juice.

Sound theoretical understanding of the fundamentals of the causes of theinstability of the cloud suspension would be highly important asassisting in pointing toward a solution of the difflculty.

Regardless of theory as to the causes of the instability of the cloudsuspension, it became a practical commercial necessity to discover somemeans of reestablishing the relative permanence of suspension of thenatural cloud in citrus juice products.

The usual run of substances commonly known as protective colloids failedto produce any satisfactory improvement. Indeed many of these substancesare found to act as precipitants for the cloud suspension.

We have found that there is a small group of substances capable ofcounteracting the above type of flocculation, which we have referred toherein as non-enzymatic. This is the group of water soluble gumscharacterized by having a high mannogalactan content.

As is not unusual with naturally occurring substances, the precisechemical make-up of these water soluble, high mannogalactan gums is notfully known. Moreover, a number of naturally occurring gums have beenreported as belonging to this group. Many of these remain to be verifiedas to their true character and as to their being actually and properlyso classified. This should not be considered surprinin, in view of thetremendous volume of technical and scientific literature, and further inview of the very regrettable fact that all too frequently some authorwill publish as facts what are actuallye little better than mereguesses. Also, very many naturally occurring substances are present insome of their source materials in such extremely small quantities thatthey can, for economic reasons, never be considered as anything morethan scientific curiosities.

Of the water-soluble, high mannogalactan gums, three representatives areavailable in some quantity. These are guar gum, locust bean gum, andtara gum. We desire to make it clear at this point that we do not hereindistinguish between locust bean gum and locust kernel gum. While adistinction is sometimes drawn in the technical literature and in thetrade, based upon very minor differences in quality or other charfactorystabilizing action by the use of the same amount of gum or, conversely,an equally satisfactory improvement in the stability of the cloud whileusing a smaller proportion of gum.

Wherever, herein and in the appended claims, we refer to these gums asbeing in solution it is to be understood that we recognize that the gumwill actually be present in sol form, since it is undersood that thesesubstances do not pass into true solution, but form only colloidalsolutions or sols.

The preferred amount of gum to be used in making up the sol is to someextent a matter of choice. Locust bean gum in equivalent proportionsseem to form somewhat more viscous sols than are formed by the guar gumand tara gum that we have examined. Sols containing as high as five percent by weight of locust bean gum (equivalent to fifty thousand partsper million) are found to possess a heavy viscosity such they would notordinarily be used. We have found a 501 containing one per cent byweight of locust bean gum to be very convenient and satisfactory foruse. Its viscosity is sufficiently low that it presents no problem atall in measuring or handling and is readily dispersed into the otherliquids to be embodied in the final syrup or beverage, at any desiredpoint. It blends well and the securing of uniformity of mixture in thevarious parts of the mix does not become a problem. Likewise,

by the use of this particular concentration all steps of calculation arereduced to the simplest possible terms, both the calculations for makingup the sol, and the calculation with respect to the amount of sol to useto obtain a desired final proportion of the gum. Thus the possibilitiesof error are reduced to a minimum.

As a further illustration of the effects of the completest possiblehydration of the gum, we have found that, using the same finalproportions of all other ingredients in the final beverage, we getimproved results by adding the gum as a sol of 0.1% concentration overthe results given by the use of a sol of 1% concentration. Thisimprovement is manifested both by improved stability of cloud suspensionat the same final gum proportions and by equivalent stability of cloudsuspension at lower gum concentration, in the cases of the beverages forwhich the gum sol used, was of 0.1% strength.

The point in the manufacture of the beverage or of the fountain syrup atwhich the gum sol is added is likewise to a considerable extent a matterof choice.

In the manufacture of bottled beverages containing less than a majorproportion of citrus juices, there are, as now commonly practicedcommercially, a number of stages at which some definite liquid productis being handled. The gum sol can actually be added at any of thesestages. These stages as usually identifiable are: (a) extraction of thejuice, (b) heat treatment or pasteurization of the juice for enzymeinactivation, concentration of the juice, ((1) fabrication of thebeverage base, (e) making up simple syrup, (,f) mixing the beverage baseand the simple syrup to form the bottling syrup, and (g) bottling thefinal beverage. Obviously it will not always be possible to separatelyidentify each of these steps in a particular procedure.

In the absence of any factors which predominantly indicate anothercourse, we prefer to add the gum as a sol and either to add it to thejuice prior to or during the concentration step or to add it to theconcentrated juice during the fabrication of the beverage base, i. e.,either at step (c) or at step ((1) above. We call particular attentionto the fact that, at whatever stage .the gum sol be added, it is ofparamount importance to see to it that a thorough intermixture of thegum sol with, and dispersion into, the other liq-' uid constituents isaccomplished.

.While the gum sol is added to the juice product prior to or during theconcentration step, and then the processing of the juice product iscarried on in such a way as to bring the concentrated product to somepredetermined percentage content of soluble solids, the addition of thegum sol prior to the concentration step avoids the necessity of anyadjustment in the calculation to allow for the aqueous phase of the gumsol and, in effect, permits the subsequent removal of the water addedwith the gum. It will be understood from what has been said above thatthese are matters of convenience only and not matters; of compellingnecessity.

When the gum sol is added during the fabrication of the beverage base,results that seem to us fully equal in satisfactoriness are obtained,with equal convenience, and without any modification in the equipmentordinarily used for such purposes. In the case of the addition of thegum sol during or prior to the concentration step, the agitationnormally attendant upon concentration will insure complete dispersal ofthe gum sol into and its intermixture with the other constituents. Inother cases, including the addition during fabrication of the beveragebase,

adequate mechanical agitation or other means must be employed to insurefull and entire intermixture. merly referred to as being obtained byaddition of the gum as a 0.1% sol instead of as a 1% sol is partlyattributable to the fact that the sol of lower strength will be morereadily stirred or otherwise mixed to a state of complete uniformity ofintermixture.

Because of the fact that these gums do have an important effect uponviscosity at concentrations that are relatively high as compared to theinfinitesimal amounts that we find satisfactory in the final beverageproducts, this effect upon viscosity being particularly noticeable inthe presence of considerable quantities of dissolved solids such as thesugars and acid of the citrus juices, there is a limitation upon theamount of the gum that can be incorporated in concentrated beveragebases and other concentrated juice products. For example, with aconcentrated lemon beverage base intended for use by bottlers, whichbase contains approximately forty-five per cent of dissolved solids, wefind that the proportion of about 0.3% of locust bean gum by weight inthe concentrated base itself is about as high as we would prefer to go,having in mind the desired ease and convenience in handling the beverageconcentrate. This is an amount which is considerably more than ample, aswill be seen from the fact that if from such a base a final beverage beprepared which has an equivalent of about 5.2% of lemon juice in thefinished beverage, the finished beverage will then contain 36 parts permillion of the gum and, as indicated above, little or no improvementofcloud in such a beverage was obtained by increasing the gum contentabove about 10 parts per million of gum, with respect to the beverage.Concentrations of gum up to, and considerably above, 36 parts permillion in the final beverage are insufficient to materially increasethe viscosity thereof.

Where it is desired to incorporate the gum" Quite possibly theimprovement for-.

' into -a bevemge prepared from a bafse -that has stances offlocculation thatare notialways :com- I pletelyzavoided by the useofrggum inaaccordance with the presentainvention. However," beth of themthe utilization ofthe= gum has' bee'nshown to be oflg'reatradvantagenand ordinarily 4 produces sufficientimprovementthattheaco'mmercialpr'ep- 'aration and distribution and sale 50f beveragesunder these particular conditions 'cane sbeearried on Withfullsatisfaction.

l One-of these appears to" be induced-by; the use of waters in or fromcertain localities. ;-'I?he use of the gum in this-instance resultsiinimproved suspension of the cloud which is otherwise susceptible of beingfairly completely fiocculated ina relativelyshortstorage time byconstituent of the water. K I

The othermay' be thought of as a'rising'within the juice product itself;althoughitis not-present at; the time the processing of: the juice hasbeen completed. It has been found-in the.--study.; of

citrus juices ---that citrus juice; products. high in acid #content; as1 lemon 'juice is, under-govsome chang during "long storage especiallyathigher temperatures, which eventually will cause-the cloud'to beeomefairly completely. unstable;- This change in the juice productis-evidencedbyf flocculation of the cloud when th juice product isdiluted to beverage strength. This-destabilization of the cloud by agingis hastenedby exposure to high temperatures during the storage andprobably" also by exposure to excessive heat during manufacture. 'Thesame"pro'cess goes on" at a lower? temperature but at a much slowerirate. Itis important to'note;Jhowever, .thatlem'on'juice products willusually be too da'rk :in fcolorlifor c'ommercialuse before:acriticalamount of :de-

stabilization :has -occurredi by reasoncof aging. As indicated above,the gum does not completely prevent this destabilizationby ag-ing.(It-does, however, retard the process ,very definitelyon perhaps morecorrect1y=stated, compensates-for it and, thereby prolongsthestoragelife of the-6 1- centratediuices. It does not reduce the rateof Jdarkening. -Consequently, the efiect'of the addition of :thel'gum isto tend to carry the. storage life of the juice product, from thestandpoint of stabilization "of the cloud, over into the f'periodbrc'ondi'tion in which" thesjuicejDreduct-xvn have becomeunacceptabl'e'commerciauy ba u s etbf The "uarkerung bfth'e dol'dr. It'Will b'e thatthis form of destabilization isndt'normanyamencounteredp'withoutincurring the; likellliced ofencountering amconditions under'whichthe pro- "portion ofgumiutilized'awould. beieipected to give 'rise teeny difliculty.u'll'ie-re are;1i6f course; some 5 factors which tend to be limiting. Wehave 'already indicated in'*a -.gen"er'al away what these factors :iare.'Z'Wh'en; ascis'the iusuallcommercial practice; a beverage is tobeiprepared from state thatshas,alreadmbeen?fabricatdfand"the'i gfumxisadded ieither at'ztlie: original concentration o the juice stage for? atthefstagerofrthg fabricatio'ni of the beverage base; thenithemaximumramountaof -gum that will: admit :"of v convenient iaiid:"sat-iS- -factory handling :;of the "concentratez ortiof iithebeveragebaserwithgum present in it will b the "limiting factor.vThis-willinot beatheisame ffor 'all; conditions =-of1 hand1ing; therebeing,- fODifieX- ainp1e,-=-difierentproblems connected :with fillinginto zg'gallonsize tin -cans' and fillingintozga'llon bottles; as is-commoninthe caseiof :certain types of --beverage t'ba'ses, wandparticularly -z fountain syrups. :-1 leith'er-;willthislimiting factorbefound ;,to-'be precisely; the same 1 in: the case oftidifierent "typesof quipment. #Also, it will necessarily ,vary, .idependent upon theconcentrationofedissolved solids in the concentrate-or the base. wehaive -,said above,-.=when :working with a common type'fof lemonbeverageq base which---'contains-.-approximately 45%- of dissolvedsolidsywefindabout 03% --of- -gumin -then-base t0--bes-as much rasiwe{desire -:-heY re n V, r. a c a While .highenacid-citrus juices,5119111315 lemon. which, imaddition to bei-ng higherin 'cidware also-.-nt: rnially--lower in their edensity of; atural cloud, exhibit morerf requently as-sufiicientdestabilization-of cloud from nonverraymaticcauses than do the lower acid, higher.---natural-;Yeloud citrus juicessuch as.---orange-juic e,: nevertheless this difiiculty does presentaeseriqus-eommereial pro m: w t ran 11 a:.' 9 :r ualcomm a *PWfi r t.=ar -t e ol b eso id r n em to a-highereprecentage einthe--coneentratioof prais I iu n i dorie {wit i emo Likewisesthe common -commercialspractie .fabr-icateprangejuice beveragebases ats highersolublesolids-s-percentage than isldonew lemon juice -beverage bases. weConsequently, r'a-ll ether thingsbeings equal the rmaximumz proportionofygum; that can;be;embo'died r-vv-ith ease: and; convenienceigin such 1higher splublewsolids condentrates :and bases mlbbe relativelw lower..vlt'eis wmm or p ne puic zccncentratesziso that. the 1 percenta e; of idissolved: :solids: :is:;ahout 65%. by-weight, or; even as high-:as-72I% by weight, while @orange juice beverageebases= are: oftenvisofabricated-that; they-have avdissolved 'solidsiecntentof- 60%. --Withiproducts of 'suchihi'ghzsolids content, we consider a gum contentof:-0;1%3-toabe a rly h gh. theg-gumifcontentis rashigh as 0.2% ,;2products; of; such; high solids? concentration becomerathendifficult-tohandle-satisfactorily; 'rWhene-Wodhcts ofifirelativelyiihieh'esolidsziconoentration 's-also x -contain vrelatively :higher "WE-1.-tho-ugh proportionatelystillvery low) amounts of gum, it is to be ip'c"that a certain amount of gelation willroccunea-nd thisiwill actually beobserved in many ,such cases. is. undoubt- *dly'due tsthesubstai'itialdeliydrafifieffiecfithe dissolved solids have upon thecolloidal'g um s61.

Such gelsare" harder to -hatidl'e l i afl juice concentrateor -beveragebase Eother rorm of-product, becauseof th'e pr" o stirring necessary-todisperse the 'irial fully andthe timerequir-d 11 dehydrated gumsubstance that constitutes the gel. Accordingly, we ordinarily prefer tokeep the gum content low enough to avoid gel formation completely or, atleast, to give only a very weak gel.

In the finished beverage, extremely small amounts of gum give a trulybeneficial effect. With a finished lemon juice beverage havingapproximately lemon juice equivalent, one part per million of gum givesgood cloud suspension, while some improvement is observed by increasingthe gum, up to as high as about ten parts per million. Any increaseabove this is apparently merely insurance provided against thepossibility of encountering some unusually unfavorable condition. Again,working with a series of orange juice beverages in which the finalfinished beverage contained approximately the equivalent of 13% oforange juice, We found that three parts per million of gum in thefinished beverage gave a substantially major part of the potentialimprovement in the stability of suspension of the cloud. In some cases,increase in gum content up to about nine parts per million gave somefurther improvement and about all the improvement that could be obtainedby larger amounts, while in other cases, increase in the gum content upto fifteen parts per million gave still some slight furtherimprovements. In all of these instances, ranging all the way fromoriginal natural strength juices through concen trates, bases, syrups,and finished beverages, as throughout all the variations in the practiceof our invention, the gum is present as indeed a very small proportionrelative to the other nonaqueous constituents of the citrus juiceproduct;

and we designate this very small relative proportion by referring to thegum as being present as a minor constituent.

We find that a very convenient rule of thumb guide is to have the gumpresent in the concentrate, in the beverage base, or in the syrup, insuch a proportion that there Will be present in the final finishedbeverage one part per' million by weight of gum for each percent ofjuice equivalent, by volume, that is present therein. This "rule ofthumb guide assumes, of course, that the final finished beverage willtake the form of a citrus juice beverage having from, say, about 5% upto about, say, 15% juice equivalent by volume, and allows a reasonableaverage or margin of safety in the proportion of gum. We do not know ofany conditions, or causes, of cloud instability that will be encounteredthat would require maintaining the same relatively high margin of safetyin the case of a concentrate intended for dilution back to theequivalent of 100% juice.

The following specific examples will, by way of illustration only andnot by way of limitation, exhibit the application of our invention, inaccordance with the foregoing disclosures, to the preparation ofparticular citrus juice products:

EXAMPLE 1 Lemon juice bevenage A beverage base is compounded ofingredients. as follows:

Concentrated lemon juice gallons 264.2 Concentrated orange juice do 26.0Sodium citrate (2H2O) lbs 35.3 Sodium benzoate lbs 55.8 Locust bean gumlbs 1.43

Water (approx) gallo ns.... 37.0

The concentrated lemon juice contains '340 grams of citric acid,calculated as anhydrous, per liter. The concentrated orange juice is 72Brix. Both products have, during the course of their manufacture, beenheat treated to inactivate enzymes, in accordance with U. S. Patent2,217,261. The sodium citrate is added for the purpose of improving thetaste-body of the flavor. The sodium benzoate acts as a preservative andis present in the base in sufficient quantity to supply the desiredamount in the final beverage. The locust bean gum is added in the formof a sol of desired strength, such as-1%, either to the lemon juiceprior to or during the manufacture of the concentrated lemon juice or itis added during the actual compounding of the beverage base. In thelatter case, the water added as part of the gum sol either constitutesor is deducted from the total amount of added water specified.

These ingredients are compounded together in known manner in a suitableapparatus, such as a glass lined tank provided with an agitator. A mixedbatch of beverage base is obtained of approximately 331.1 gallons involume and 3316.2 lbs. in weight.

Composition of base (by calculation) Soluble solids concentrationdegrees Brix Citric acid, as anhydrous per cent Juice content equivalentvolumes Gum per cent Base, from above gallons 1 Sugar syrup, 32 B do 17Flavor extract and color, q. s., or fl. oz 3 This syrup is mixed andcompounded in known manner. The beverage, in this example, is thenbottled into 12 oz. bottles, with the throw of the above syrup adjustedto 2% oz. of syrup per bottle, and at the same time carbonated, asdesired.

Composition of beverage (by calculation) This beverage will be found tohave an excellent cloud retention and stability, even though theconcentrates exhibit strong destabilization of the cloud in acorresponding beverage madeup without the gum.

EXAMPLE 2 Orange juice beverage A beverage base is compounded ofingredients,

as follows:

Concentrated orange juice gallons 246.1 Flavoring substances lbs 20Citric acid, crystalline (average) lbs 201.1 Locust bean gum lbs fl 1.41

The concentrated orange juice used" in this case,"is"65 Brix, and hasduring'the'course of its "manufacture been heat treated to' inactivateenzymes in accordance with U. S: Patent 2,217,261. The locust bean gum'is preferably added infth'e form of a sol of 1% strength, or of othersuitablestr'ength. Since' the-formula as given abovedoes not callforadded water; the mini sol may be added to the juice during tar-priorto the concentration step. It is also possible to modify the formulasufficiently to permit the addition of a gum sol of relatively highconcentration, such as 3%, to the batch. Another possi bility' is' tomix the dry powderedgum directly into the concentrate" or aportionof'it, during" rapid agitation. However, we do 'notpreferthislatter procedure unless time can be allowed at a later stage after morewater has been a'cldedto permit satisfactorily ccmplete' hydration of rthe um.

These ingredients are compounded together in known manner in a suitableapparatus; such as a glass lined tank provided'with an agitator. A mixedbatch of beverage 'base isobtained of ap proximately 264.2 gallons involumeand-2;92i;4

pounds in weight. M

Composition of base (by calculation) Soluble solids concentratiomdegreesl3rix 66.7

Citric acid, .as -anhydrous per cen-t' 11.3 Juice contentequivalentelvolumess 6.08 Gum per cents; 0.048 The above" base maythen'be utilized in the renewing: v

Orangead'e formula: Base-from abtven "gallons" 1 Sugar, dry sucrose lbs3 8 Water "gallons; 36.2

Soluble solids'concentrationsdegrees'Erix 12.9

Citric acid, as anhydrous per cent 0.36 Juice equivalent, by volurne do15.2 (approx); p. p. in.

This beverage-will-be found tohave an excellent cloud retention andstability, even though the-concentrate froi'nwhich it is made eighibitsstrong destabilization of the cloud in acorr'esponding beverage made upWithout the gum.

EXAMPLE 3 Orange juice beverage A beverage base is compounded ofingredients, as follows:

Concentrated orange juice gallons 166.4 Citric acid, crystalline(average) pounds 223.5 Flavoring substances do 63.? Sodium citrate(21-120) do 18.5 Sodium benzoate do 44.9 Water (approx) gal1ons 69.6Locust bean gum lb 0.97

The concentrated orange juice used in this case, is 85 Brix, and hasbeen heat treated to ini4 activate en'zyin'es; sodium citrate i for" thepurpose of improving the tas'te bo These ingredients are cornpoun'ded'to ethe known inahner in essence-swarms such as a glass linedtankprovided with an a ta mixed batch of beverageba's'e i btai un eigComposition ofbas'e (by emulation) Soluble solids concentratiomde g're sBiix; 5319 This'syrup is mixed andcoinpoun'd" v manner; The beverage, inthis 'eii'a pl bottled'ihto l2oz'ibottles, with the owabovesyr'up'adjustedf to 2%. oz. of sy upper tle;-'and*at thesains'time'c rbonate is desired;-

Coi ii positiohb f' beverage"'(by'caicuiaucio This beverage willbeffoun'd weave-sea en lent cloud retention and stability even i thoughthe concentrate from which -it -is nade exhibitsstrong destabilizationof the cloud in a corresponding. beverage made up without th gum.

It should Qbeundrstood that 3111 the fore oing examples the formulas arebased on commercialpractice in 3 manufacturing. establishments which themetric system of measurement iswused rih e ii e i h ndie i e qf md s ofthis sort. In Example 1; the: amount ofconcerttrated' lemon juiceordinarilyeinpIoyed:is;1900

li't'er's while magnate 2 and Egaijnple} 3 the batches are calculated;tc-finish: at 1 000- mars, :or

264.2 gallons 1 in each case. In th presentationofthese exam-piesherein, the values have been calculated "overlto the Englishsystrn ofmeasurement in pounds and gau es. v 7

Numerous variations in procedure will suggest themselves to those whoare skilled in this art, in the application of the present invention tothe widely differing details of manipulation that are characteristic ofcommercial practices in this field, all without departing from thefundamentals of the invention.

We may point out that We have not developed any hypothesis thatsatisfactorily links the high mannogalactan content of the efficaciousgums with their efficacy for our particular purpose. Nevertheless, it isclearly apparent that it is this distinguishing characteristic of havinga high mannogalactan content that differentiates the effective gums fromthe non-effective gums and other non-effective substances.

Having thus fully disclosed the nature of our invention and the methodsof making and usin it, we claim as our invention and desire to secure byLetters Patent the following:

1. A method of improving the natural cloud of a citrus juice productwhich comprises incorporating in the juice product in solution therein,as a minor constituent thereof, insufficient to materially increase thefinal beverage viscosity, a water soluble gum of high mannogalactancontent, whereby a relatively high permanence of stability of suspensionof the natural cloud producing substances present in said juice productis imparted thereto.

2. A method of improving the natural cloud of a citrus juice productwhich comprises incorporating in the juice product in solution therein,as a minor constituent thereof, insufficient to materially increase thefinal beverage viscosity, a water soluble gum of high mannogalactancontent of the class consisting of locust bean gum, tara gum, and guargum, whereby a relatively high permanence of stability of suspension ofthe natural cloud producing substances present in said juice product isimparted thereto.

3. A method of improving the natural cloud of a citrus juice productwhich comprises incorporating in the juice product in solution therein,as a minor constituent thereof, insufficient to materially increase thefinal beverage viscosity, a

the water soluble gum of high mannogalactan content, locust bean gum,whereby a relatively high permanence of stability of suspension of thenatural cloud producing substances present in said juice product isimparted thereto.

4. A method of improving the natural cloud of a citrus juice productwhich comprises incorporating in the juice product in solution therein,as a minor constituent thereof, insufficient to materially increase thefinal beverage viscosity, the water soluble gum of high mannogalactancontent, tare. gum, whereby a relatively high permanence of stability ofsuspension of the natural cloud producing substances present in saidjuice product is imparted thereto.

5. A method of improving the natural cloud of a citrus juice productwhich comprises incorporating in the juice product in solution therein,as a minor constituent thereof, insufiicient to materially increase thefinal beverage viscosity,

the water soluble gum of high mannogalactan content, guar gum, whereby arelatively high permanence of stability of suspension of the naturalcloud producing substances present in said juice product is impartedthereto.

6. A citrus juice product containing, as a minor constituent thereof,insufiicient to materially increase the final beverage viscosity, awater soluble gum of high mannogalactan content to stabilize the cloudtherein.

7.- A citrus juice product containing,- as a minor constituent thereof,insuflicient to materially increase the final beverage viscosity, awater soluble gum of high mannogalactan content of the class consistingof locust bean gum, tara gum, and guar gum, to stabilize the cloudtherein.

8. A citrus juice product containing, as a minor constituent thereofinsufficient to materially increase the final beverage viscosity, thewater soluble gum of high mannogalactan content, locust bean gum, tostabilize the cloud therein.

9. A citrus juice product containing, as a minor constituent thereof,insufficient to materially increase the final beverage viscosity, thewater soluble gum of high mannogalactan content, tara gum, to stabilizethe cloud therein.

10. A citrus juice product containing, as a minor constituent thereof,insufficient to materially increase the final beverage viscosity, thewater soluble gum of high mannogalactan content, guar gum, to stabilizethe cloud therein.

11. A citrus beverage containing, as a minor constituent, insufficientto materially increase the viscosity thereof, the water soluble gum ofhigh mannogalactan content, locust bean gum, to stabilize the cloudtherein.

12. Concentrated citrus juice containing, as a minor constituentthereof, insuflicient to materially increase the final beverageviscosity, the water soluble gum of high mannogalactan content, locustbean gum, to stabilize the cloud in beverage made therefrom.

13. A citrus beverage base containing, as a minor constituent thereof,insufiicient to materially increase the final beverage viscosity, thewater soluble gum of high mannogalactan content, locust bean gum, tostabilize the cloud in beverage made therefrom.

14. A citrus beverage syrup containing, as a minor constituent thereof,insufiicient to materially increase the final beverage viscosity, thewater soluble gum of high mannogalactan content, locust bean gum, tostabilize the cloud in beverage made therefrom.

JESSE W. STEVENS. DAVID E. PRITCHETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,458,427 McGeorge June 12, 19232,007,218 Seltzer July 9, 1935 OTHER REFERENCES Water-Soluble Gums byMantell, 1947, pages 126 and 127.

1. A METHOD OF IMPROVING THE NATURAL CLOUD OF A CITRUS JUICE PRODUCTWHICH COMPRISES INCORPORATING IN THE JUICE PRODUCT IN SOLUTION THEREIN,AS A MINOR CONSTITUENT THEREOF, INSUFFICIET TO MATERIALLY INCREASE THEFINAL BEVERAGE VISCOSITY, A WATER SOLUBLE GUM OF HIGH MANNOGALACTANCONTENT, WHEREBY A RELATIVELY HIGH PERMANENCE OF STABILITY OF SUSPENSIONOF THE NATURAL CLOUD PRODUCING SUBSTANCES PRESENT IN SAID JUICE PRODUCTIS IMPARTED THERETO.